George Lucas announces his retirement

[MIB41]

I do agree that Lucas has lost all sense of direction during the last couple of decades. His best work (THX, Graffiti and SW) was made when he didn't have tons of money and a God complex.
Just goes to show, throwing a fortune at movies doesn't made them better all the time. Avatar cost like $$$$$, and I still didn't like it.
Lucas is badly in need of an "editor" who says to him what may or may not work. When people say you're right all the time, your life will be filled with Jar Jars...

BULLSEYE!

[Werewolf]

But he HAS released the original movies, the way they were made in 1977-1983, on DVD.
Did you miss that?

To be fair, they were actually only part of the "special features" on the bonus discs. They were also direct copies from the old SW laser discs and weren't even enhanced for widescreen TVs.

[EMCE Hammer]

There are things I hate about the prequels and the animated properties. But if given the choice of no new Star Wars since RotJ, or what we got......I'll happily take it warts and all. I actually like some of the books and comics, and we've gotten some really cool toys IMO that we wouldn't have gotten if not for the prequels. I've got the Laserdiscs and a basic set of prequel DVDs, and I enjoy them all with my kids. Hell yeah I would have done a lot of it differently, but I can't get all fired-up about it.

[Werewolf]

Lucas is now claiming Han always shot first.

George Lucas now claims that Greedo always shot first

In the script and the novel, Greedo doesn't even shoot at all. If he wants to re-edit the movie, fine. But to make claims like that which are so easily disproven is mind boggling. It's hard to believe he is that far gone.

[deputypowell]

This is going to be like Walt Disney and Gene Roddenberry...even if he retires, it is never going to end in our lifetime. There will be other movies and tv shows in the Star Wars Universe.

[babycyclops]

Umm.. Surely Lucas must have known that there had already been a film made about the Tuskegee airmen, in the mid 90's:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114745/

[Thor]

Guys. All you need to do is ignore any SW releases that you don't like. Such as prequels, merchandising, Special Editions, re-released figures, etc.
Complaining about them will only give you ulcers.
Be happy with what George gave you, and ignore the things he did that you don't like.

Whatever George did/does in his later career, he gave us Star Wars.
For which my thanks.

That's pretty much what I've been doing. I stopped buying the overpriced novels a long time ago.

[Hector]

Yeah, I thank him for the original Trilogy...but I'll thank him even more if he just shuts his self-important trap...and rides off to the sunset.

[Gorn Captain]

Lucas is now claiming Han always shot first.

George Lucas now claims that Greedo always shot first

In the script and the novel, Greedo doesn't even shoot at all. If he wants to re-edit the movie, fine. But to make claims like that which are so easily disproven is mind boggling. It's hard to believe he is that far gone.

George does like to rewrite his own history.
When I saw R2D2 flying and flame-throwing battle droids, I did think "Oh, no, what has he done?!"

[Gorn Captain]

That's pretty much what I've been doing. I stopped buying the overpriced novels a long time ago.

I've pretty much stopped buying any SW stuff. In the last ten years, I bought the Sideshow Sandtrooper, and the large wing X-Wing and TIE fighter.
I think they're fantastic, and they look a whole lot better than the original releases.
If you drop the whole "collect them all" idea, you can pick up some cool stuff here and there. It's cheaper, and you don't get the stress of having to buy and buy, even when you've had enough...

[Bruce Banner]

Guys. All you need to do is ignore any SW releases that you don't like. Such as prequels, merchandising, Special Editions, re-released figures, etc.
Complaining about them will only give you ulcers.
Be happy with what George gave you, and ignore the things he did that you don't like.

Whatever George did/does in his later career, he gave us Star Wars.
For which my thanks.

Agreed 100%.

Umm.. Surely Lucas must have known that there had already been a film made about the Tuskegee airmen, in the mid 90's:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114745/

Red Tails had been in the planning stages since something like the late 80s. I remember reading an article about it in The Lucasfilm Fanclub Magazine back in the late 80s or early 90s, saying that its planned release date was something like 1993!

Well, better late than never, I guess!

[johnmiic]

How many people here saw Red Tails?

I was going to see it because it looked really good but I went sooner because my nephew, (12 years old), ask me to go too. He was eager to see it. Tho Lucas produced it and was very specific about what the film should be it is probably one of the most "hands-off" films he has made in some time.

At least half the film is action. While it probably has the right amount of action I would have liked a little more dogfighting. Maybe a little more prologue like the stuff he mentions in the interview that was jettisoned.

If you have problems with Lucas, as I do too, I understand but don't take it out on Red Tails. Success isn't always measured in box-office receipts. You can't twist audiences arms to pay for a movie if they don't really want to see it. A lot of good films fail to capture audience interest. Back to the Future was one such film. People discovered it more on VHS than in theaters. Red Tails wasn't a bad film at all.

[Brazoo]

I wrote critical stuff about him in the "Greedo" threads, so I'll say nice stuff about him here. Why not.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is my favorite thing from Lucas - and if you're a fan you should check out this transcript of a meeting between Lucas, Spielberg and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan hashing out the movie's story.

Reading this is mind blowing - Lucas' head was racing with incredible ideas. He riffs with Spielberg a lot, but most of the film's story and major plot points are just coming out of Lucas' mouth as they go.

The link I'm posting is a summary and analysis of the 125 page transcript, but there's a link to a PDF of the full thing as well:

Mystery Man on Film: The Story Conference

[Bruce Banner]

The full PDF is certainly essential reading.
I've had that for 3 years and I still re-read parts of it regularly. A true gem for Raiders fans.

[MIB41]

I've always felt the genius in Lucas has been as an idea and marketing man. He has an endless library of great concepts. And if I was marketing something, I would use his marketing schemes as a guideline for my own material. He absolutely get's it when it comes to making money. What is sad is that he doesn't respect his own ideas enough to give them to others to be fully realized. He is so cash happy he would rather pay himself to make a subpar film than pay someone better qualified to make a really good picture. He believes the story is just a shallow vehicle to sale product. So in his mind, he'll get the same result and make more money by just doing it himself.

And the sad part? His perspective has been proven mostly RIGHT. So should it really come as any surprise that when he finally ventures back into serious film making subjects, many of his industry peers choose not to show up? Lucas is all about the money. All about the product. He has gone to extraordinary lengths to illustrate he doesn't mind pounding a subject over and over again if there is a dollar to be made. He is the textbook example of what a one trick pony truly is. It would be like Spielberg still making movies and product about Jaws. My opinion? Give it up George. You've spent your whole life making money off the idea that story doesn't count and pushing away talented folks who could have made your ideas better. You've made your bed. You just don't want to lay in it now.